Aska & Drug Use: Answers to Some Questions

This picture taken on Nov. 4, 2009 shows pop singer Aska at an interview in Tokyo. Aska, whose real name is Shigeaki Miyazaki, was arrested on May 17, 2014 for possessing illegal drugs in his Tokyo apartment.

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Shigeaki Miyazaki — better known as Aska of the long-running, platinum-selling pop duo Chage & Aska — has dominated the Japanese headlines since being arrested Saturday on suspicion of possessing of illegal “stimulant” drugs. While the term is widely used by the police and media for range of illegal drugs, in this case the police said Aska had been caught with methamphetamine, sometimes known as “shabu.”

Aska has told police he is innocent, according to Jiji Press.

Jiji also reported that police had seized powdered MDMA pills — better known as “ecstasy” — from his apartment, and that Aska tested positive for drug use.

Chage and Aska’s label, Universal Music LLC, released a statement Monday saying it would halt shipments of all of the duo’s works and retrieve all previously distributed products from stores.

To bring JRT readers up to speed on Aska, his career, and drug-use by Japanese celebrities, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions.

Q: How long has Aska been performing music?
Born in Fukuoka on Feb. 24, 1958, Aska teamed up with Chage, another Fukuoka native, debuting as Chage and Aska in 1979. The duo was initially folk-oriented but added elements of pop to their songs later in the career. Their 1991 ballad “Say Yes” sold over 2.7 million copies and remains one of the top-selling singles of all time in Japan. In 1992, Chage & Aska were awarded the Japan Gold Disc Award grand prize, having reached sales of ¥10.1 billion (about $100 million) in that year alone.

Q: Is this the first time Aska has been tied to drug use?
A weekly magazine published in October alleged that Aska was using illegal drugs. He denied the claim and his management said he “wasn’t involved in any illegal activities.”

Chage on Saturday released a statement saying he had long been hoping for Aska’s recovery, but was “extremely disappointed it has come to this.”

“I haven’t been able to get my head around the situation,” Chage also said.

Aska’s management released a statement Saturday saying his future activities were still undecided.

Q: How well-known is Aska outside Japan?
In 1996, Chage and Aska became the first Japanese artists to appear on the popular U.S. live program MTV Unplugged, a performance that was later released as an album. The duo has also performed extensively in Asia, including South Korea, China, Taiwan and Singapore.

Q: Is it rare in Japan for celebrities to be arrested for possession of drugs?
A fair number of celebrities have been arrested in recent years for possession of illegal drugs.

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